Top 10 Antler Alternatives: Best Startup Accelerators in 2026

Antler has carved out a unique position in the accelerator world. It helps solo founders form teams, validate ideas, and secure initial funding. The program has supported over 800 startups across major cities like Singapore, London, and New York.

But Antler isn't the only option for early-stage founders.

Some builders need actual product development support, not just team formation workshops. Others want deeper technical expertise in specific domains like AI or enterprise software. A few are looking for models that don't require relocating or committing to rigid cohort schedules.

We looked at active programs and picked ten solid alternatives to Antler. Each one fits different stages, geographies, and founder needs.

Antler Alternatives: Quick Comparison Table

Name	Region	Stage Fit	Equity Model	Focus Areas
Ellenox	USA, Europe, India	Idea to pre-seed	Custom / Studio	B2B SaaS, AI, consumer apps
Y Combinator	US (Global remote)	Pre-seed to seed	7% + SAFE	General
Entrepreneur First	Global	Solo founders	~10%	Deep tech, AI
500 Global	Global	Pre-seed to seed	$150K for 6%	General, emerging markets
Techstars	Global	Pre-seed to seed	~6%	General
Founder Institute	Global	Idea stage	Equity varies	Pre-seed, solo founders
Pear VC	US	Pre-seed	~14% SAFE	Consumer, fintech
Berkeley SkyDeck	US	Deep tech	$200K for 5%	Biotech, AI, cleantech
Creative Destruction Lab	North America	Seed	Grant-based	AI, quantum, health
MassChallenge	Global	All stages	0% equity	Impact-driven, all sectors

The 10 Best Antler Alternatives

1. Ellenox Venture Studio

Best for: Founders who need hands-on product development and launch support

Ellenox works differently from most accelerators. Instead of running workshops and mentor sessions, they build alongside you. You get embedded access to engineers, AI specialists, designers, and go-to-market experts who work directly on your product.

The studio model runs on weekly sprints. Teams cover everything from frontend development to LLM integration to brand positioning. If you're building AI tools, B2B software, or consumer apps, Ellenox helps you ship faster without hiring a full team upfront.

This approach works well for technical founders who know what they want to build but need execution velocity. And for solo founders with domain expertise who need technical co-execution.

• Website: ellenox.com

• Portfolio: 50+ startups (Vinita, Grouped, Clockout)

• HQ Location: Bangalore, India (USA, Europe, India presence)

• Company Types: AI services, consumer, social, B2B SaaS

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2. Y Combinator

Best for: Teams with traction or strong technical depth ready to scale

Y Combinator runs twice yearly with cohorts of around 200 to 300 companies. You get $500K in funding: $125K for 7% equity plus $375K on an uncapped SAFE. The program emphasizes rapid iteration, product development, and fundraising momentum.

Office hours with partners happen weekly. You also get access to Bookface, YC's internal network, and one of the most high-profile demo days in venture. YC works if you can execute fast and independently. The program is less about hand-holding and more about velocity.

Unlike Antler, which focuses on pre-team formation, YC expects you to already have a team and some level of product clarity. You should be ready to move quickly.

• Website: ycombinator.com

• Program Lead: Garry Tan

• HQ Location: Mountain View, CA (remote options available)

• Portfolio: 5,000+ companies

• Notable Alumni: Airbnb, Stripe, Dropbox, Reddit, Instacart

• Exits: 200+ exits, 90+ unicorns

  
  

3. Entrepreneur First (EF)

Best for: Solo technical or commercial talent without a co-founder

EF recruits individuals before they have teams or ideas. You join a cohort, form a founding team during the program, and then start building. The focus is on deep tech, AI, and high-barrier enterprise solutions.

EF invests around 10% equity and provides support for ideation, validation, and early fundraising. The program runs in London, Singapore, and other major cities. It's structured for people who want to be founders but haven't found the right partner or direction yet.

This is similar to Antler's model but with a heavier emphasis on technical depth. EF tends to attract PhD-level talent and people coming from research backgrounds.

• Website: joinef.com

• Program Lead: Matt Clifford

• HQ Location: London, UK (global presence)

• Portfolio: 300+ startups

• Company Types: Deep tech, AI, enterprise software

• Top Alumni: Magic Pony (acquired by Twitter), Tractable, Ramp

• Alumni Exits: 30+ exits, 1 unicorn

4. 500 Global

Best for: International founders targeting emerging markets

500 Global operates accelerator programs on multiple continents. They invest $150K for around 6% equity and focus heavily on distribution, growth tactics, and market access. The firm has particularly strong networks in Southeast Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.

You get access to over 2,500 mentors and investors. The program emphasizes scrappy growth and market validation over polished pitch decks. 500 Global invests in more than 150 companies per year, so the cohorts are larger and the approach is less hands-on than smaller programs.

If you're building outside the US or targeting non-Western markets, 500 Global offers better regional expertise than most alternatives.

• Website: 500.co

• Program Lead: Christine Tsai

• HQ Location: San Francisco, CA (20+ global offices)

• Portfolio: 5,000+ companies

• Notable Alumni: Canva, Grab, Udemy, Talkdesk, Credit Karma

• Exits: 160+ companies valued at $100M+, 35+ unicorns

5. Techstars

Best for: Founders who need structured mentorship and investor introductions

Techstars runs over 40 programs globally with a focus on mentorship-driven support. You get approximately 6% equity investment and access to a network of advisors, alumni, and VCs. The program is three months long and ends with a demo day.

Techstars works well if you're preparing for an institutional seed round and need operational coaching. The mentorship is intensive. You'll have weekly sessions with successful founders and domain experts who help with product, hiring, and fundraising strategy.

The model is more traditional than Ellenox or EF. It's less about building your product for you and more about guiding you through the process.

• Website: techstars.com

• Program Lead: Maëlle Gavet

• HQ Location: Boulder, CO (global presence)

• Portfolio: 3,000+ startups

• Top Alumni: SendGrid (IPO), DigitalOcean (IPO), ClassPass (acquired)

• Alumni Exits: 200+ exits, 15+ unicorns

6. Founder Institute

Best for: Part-time founders at the idea stage

Founder Institute is designed for people who haven't launched yet. The program runs part-time over four months and covers ideation, validation, team formation, and legal structure. You attend weekly sessions with founders and investors while working on your startup.

FI operates in over 200 cities worldwide, so you don't need to relocate. The equity model is performance-based. Only graduates who successfully launch grant equity, and the amount varies based on progress.

This is a good fit if you're still figuring things out and want accountability without quitting your job immediately.

• Website: fi.co

• Program Lead: Adeo Ressi

• HQ Location: Palo Alto, CA (200+ chapters worldwide)

• Portfolio: 8,600+ companies

• Notable Alumni: Udemy, Realty Mogul, Grasshopper

• Exits: 110+ exits

  
  

7. Pear VC

Best for: Technical teams in consumer or fintech with strong product instincts

Pear is a venture fund with an accelerator component. They invest early, often before traction, and provide product validation support, GTM strategy, and seed fundraising guidance. Pear takes around 14% equity via a SAFE.

The fund has deep ties to Stanford and Caltech ecosystems. If you're a technical founder building consumer tech or fintech and need early guidance from investors who understand product, Pear is worth considering.

The program is less structured than Antler or Techstars. It's more like getting a lead investor who also acts as a hands-on partner.

• Website: pear.vc

• Program Lead: Pejman Nozad

• HQ Location: Menlo Park, CA

• Portfolio: 200+ startups

• Top Alumni: DoorDash (IPO), Guardant Health (IPO), Branch

• Alumni Exits: 40+ exits, 5 unicorns

8. Berkeley SkyDeck

Best for: Research-driven startups in deep tech or biotech

SkyDeck is run by UC Berkeley and focuses on science and technology ventures. You get $200K for 5% equity and access to lab facilities, regulatory coaching, and academic mentorship. The program is six months long.

This works well for founders spinning out of research labs or building hardware. SkyDeck has strong connections to the university's engineering, biotech, and AI departments.

Unlike Antler, which focuses on general team formation, SkyDeck is tailored for technical depth and long development cycles.

• Website: skydeck.berkeley.edu

• Program Lead: Caroline Winnett

• HQ Location: Berkeley, CA

• Portfolio: 800+ companies

• Company Types: Deep tech, AI, biotech, robotics, cleantech

• Notable Alumni: Sight Machine, Gradescope, Capella Space

• Exits: 35+ exits, 2 unicorns

9. Creative Destruction Lab (CDL)

Best for: Science-based startups with technical or academic co-founders

CDL is an objectives-based program for seed-stage ventures in AI, quantum computing, and health. The program runs through goal-setting sessions with accomplished entrepreneurs and investors. It spans nine months and is hosted at universities including Toronto, Oxford, and HEC Paris.

CDL provides grant-based support and has helped portfolio companies generate over $51 billion AUD in equity value. It's designed for frontier technology with long research timelines.

This is less about team formation and more about helping technical founders navigate commercialization.

• Website: creativedestructionlab.com

• Program Lead: Sonia Sennik

• HQ Location: Toronto, Canada (sites across North America and Europe)

• Portfolio: 2,900+ ventures

• Company Types: AI, machine learning, quantum, space, health

• Notable Alumni: Atomwise, Deep Genomics, D-Wave (IPO)

• Exits: 1 IPO and multiple acquisitions

10. MassChallenge

Best for: Mission-driven founders who want to avoid equity dilution

MassChallenge is a zero-equity accelerator. You get cash prizes, office space, mentorship, and corporate partnerships without giving up ownership. The program operates in the US, UK, Israel, Mexico, and Switzerland.

This works well for founders building solutions in health, sustainability, or social impact who want structured support without dilution. MassChallenge has supported over 3,100 startups.

If you're early and uncertain about equity terms, this is a low-risk way to get accelerator-level support.

• Website: masschallenge.org

• Program Lead: Cait Brumme

• HQ Location: Boston, MA (global hubs)

• Portfolio: 3,100+ startups

• Notable Alumni: Ginkgo Bioworks, Lumi, Via Separations

• Exits: 195+ exits, 5 unicorns

Why Choose Ellenox Over Team Formation Programs

Most accelerators help you find a co-founder, validate your idea, and pitch to investors. Ellenox focuses on what comes next: actually building the product.

Rather than spending months on team formation exercises or business model canvases, founders at Ellenox work directly with engineers and designers who ship real features. The focus is on execution from week one. You get infrastructure built, user flows designed, and technical architecture decisions made by people who have done it before.

If you're building intelligent automation, data platforms, or AI-powered tools, Ellenox helps you pick the right technology, design for scale, and move from concept to launch without hiring a full team first.

For solo founders and early teams who already know what problem they want to solve, Ellenox offers a faster path than traditional accelerators that focus on ideation and team assembly.

Ready to build? Work with our team.